The National Academy of Medical Sciences is set to hold its second presidential election since independence in the coming days. The vote of confidence will largely determine whether the 1,43 billion hryvnias allocated in the 2016 budget will be spent on scientific development, or whether the money will, as before, end up in the pockets of companies close to the NAMS leadership. It's no coincidence that the Academy's Presidium is rushing the vote, postponing it from February to January. This plays into the hands of allies of the current president, Andriy Serdyuk, who is under investigation.
Andriy Serdyuk took over the NAMS during the height of Viktor Yanukovych's presidency. In February 2011, his predecessor, Academician Oleksandr Vozianov, elected in 1993, resigned due to health reasons.
The most likely candidate for the vacant position was the rector of the Odessa National Medical University, Academician Valeriy Zaporozhan. But then the head of the parliamentary committee on health, Tatyana Bakhteyeva, intervened.Read more about it in the article Tatyana Bakhteeva: "cured"!), and, according to Dmitry Sherembey, chairman of the Patients of Ukraine Charitable Foundation, she specifically came to the elections to convey a message from Viktor Yanukovych, asking academy members to vote for Andriy Serdyuk. Incidentally, she herself admitted that she lobbied for Serdyuk and his team—vice presidents Yuriy Kundiyev and Vitaly Tsymbalyuk. (https://www.rbc.ua/rus/interview/tatyana-bahteeva-gryaznoy-kampaniey-protiv-1444839123.html).
Tatyana Bakhteyeva's interference in the NAMSU leadership elections was no accident. In the criminal complaint filed with law enforcement by MP Yegor Sobolev (document attached), it was stated that numerous instances of corruption and embezzlement of budget funds were reported on the part of A.M. Serdyuk, Yu.I. Kundiyev, and V.I. Tsymbalyuk during the purchase of expensive equipment for scientific medical institutions. The union also mentions the purchase of a Gamma Knife for the removal of brain tumors, a linear accelerator (at three times the actual price), and other such items. All of this, according to the trade union, occurred in collaboration between the Academy of Medical Sciences' leadership and commercial entities, specifically the so-called business groups of the Fistal brothers and Kuzma N.V.
People's Deputy Oksana Korchinska spoke in more detail about the connections between the aforementioned individuals and the deputies in an interview with "Public People" (https://pl.com.ua/korchinska-donets-i-bahteyeva-v-parlamenti-lobiyuyut-interesi-mafiyi-medichnogo-obladnannya/)—in relation to the situation surrounding the construction of a new building for the long-suffering children's hospital.
According to her, Nikolai Kuzma's business is represented by People's Deputy Tatyana Donetsk, who chaired the Okhmatdet group in the previous parliament. She faces competition from Bakhteyeva's protégés—the commercial entities of the Fistal brothers.
"Kuzma and Fistal's companies have always divided the medical equipment market equally, depending on who came to power. And they dictate the prices at which equipment is purchased in Ukraine," asserts MP Oksana Korchynska.
Interestingly, in response to the high-profile statements, parliament sent a letter signed by Bakhteyeva and Donetsk, claiming they are extremely honest people and should not be slandered. However, we know nothing about any attempt to refute the MP's accusations in court, nor about any reaction to the Free Trade Union of Healthcare Workers' statements. It's one thing to swear by your integrity and speak of it, and quite another to actually prove your case in court.
However, the corrupt ties between Bakhteyeva, Fistals, Serdyuk, and Kuzma have been repeatedly reported in the media over the years, even under Yanukovych https://medcontrol.com.ua/andrej-mixajlovich-serdyuk-i-antikorrupcionnaya-gigiena-v-namn-ukrainy/.
Moreover, many of the facts described in the press are currently the subject of criminal investigations. For example, up to ten criminal cases are pending https://www.rbc.ua/rus/interview/dmitriy-sherembey-byudzhet-namn-eto-summa-1444731679.html — alleging abuse of office and large-scale embezzlement of public funds during the procurement of medical equipment for institutes. According to preliminary investigation estimates, the fraud may amount to UAH 5 billion (in 2013 and earlier prices). Andriy Serdyuk, President of the Academy of Medical Sciences, is currently under investigation for embezzlement (misappropriation) of UAH 600 in budget funds due to his illegal combination of two positions in 2011: President of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine and Head of the Institute of Hygiene and Medical Ecology.
In other words, Serdyuk pocketed a considerable sum, equivalent to $75.000, from his salary alone. And that's just for a year, while we've been "supporting" him in public sector positions for five years now. However, the judges turned a blind eye to these "petty pranks" of a retired medical professional.
On October 8, Kyiv's Shevchenkivskyi District Court denied prosecutors' motions to place Serdyuk under house arrest. This was reported to the press by former prosecutor and now the academician's lawyer, Mykola Banchuk. Banchuk enabled his "client" to feel at ease, thanks to his strong connections at the very top of both the Prosecutor General's Office and the Kyiv Prosecutor's Office.
The court merely ordered the defendant to appear for questioning and interviews with the prosecutor's office "upon request." The court alleged that a serious illness prevents the president of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine from fully "opening up" to the court. However, it does allow the defendant to attend meetings of the Academy's Presidium, parliamentary hearings on relevant topics, and meetings at the Ministry of Health, even though, by law, Serdyuk should be suspended from work while the investigation is ongoing. However, nothing of the sort has been forthcoming.
Both the court's half-hearted decision and the investigative process itself look like a game of "you're chasing me, just as I'm running away from you." After all, investigators are prohibited from making any progress in the Serdyuk case: this has been repeatedly emphasized in statements by Euromaidan activists and lustrators seeking to purge the National Academy of Medical Sciences of "retired bandits." When words and appeals failed, public activists even repeatedly stopped the lawlessness that was unfolding at the National Academy of Medical Sciences presidiums. And yet, the situation remains unchanged: the legitimate investigation has been halted, Yanukovych's cronies continue to plunder the budget and thrive in leadership positions. And the reason for this is obvious: prosecutors and judges are human beings too, they often get sick, so connections in medical circles won't hurt them. As is the favor of the country's top officials: without the support of Poroshenko and his godfather, Prosecutor General Shokin, Serdyuk and his team would hardly have been able to ignore court decisions and plunder the budget. It was patronage (or complicity?) at the highest levels that allowed the "medical mafia" of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine to stay afloat for so long, despite public protests, Euromaidan representatives, and anti-corruption activists.
However, with such a criminal record, Andriy Serdyuk has almost no chance of re-election. Therefore, according to a statement from the NAMSU press service, he does not intend to participate in the presidential and presidium elections. The main goal of him, Bakhteyeva, and other interested parties is to preserve the current team and strengthen it by promoting their own people to the academy's leadership.
There's talk in medical circles that Serdyuk could maintain the status quo if Vice President Vitaliy Tsymbalyuk takes his place. Tatyana Bakhteyeva is allegedly lobbying for the candidacy of her loyal ally, Kharkiv native Oleksandr Belovol. Kuzma and Donetsk have their own interests, which are largely intertwined with those of Bakhteyeva, as much medical equipment delivered during Serdyuk's tenure remains inoperative, and litigation over this could cause significant problems and hinder new projects. For example, the Verkhovna Rada's healthcare committee is already calling for the abolition of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine (NAMSU) as a superstructure.
However, the rectors of domestic and international medical universities, industry associations, and international scientific communities are less radical. These professionals believe that simply replacing the corrupt leadership of the National Academy of Medical Sciences with trained personnel trusted by the medical community will improve the situation. Therefore, they support Academician Valeriy Zaporozhan, who is credited with modernizing medical science and purging the academy of corruption. However, it's already clear that the race for the post of head of the National Academy of Medical Sciences will be unprecedented: Zaporozhan has received numerous threats, and even an attempt on his life was made: unknown assailants "taught a lesson" to the rector of Odesa Medical University with bats. This is understandable: too much money is at stake to stand on ceremony with a candidate supported only by colleagues, medical professors, and patients, not the powers that be.
So, for now, the question of qualitative changes in medical science depends directly on procedural intrigues. Serdyuk's team is trying to maintain the situation, and to this end, in flagrant violation of the Academy's regulations, they moved the elections from February 20 to January 15.
The final battle for the academy between the lobby from the past and the people from the future may take place very soon...
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